It All Came Down To Extant
by Ms. Kinnikufan
Summary: AtomSmasher mulls over his life. Set shortly before World War Three


It all came down to Extant

by Ms. Kinnikufan

disclaimer: Dc owns.

It all came down to Extant, Albert Rothstein realized.

If he hadn't switched his mother with Extant, he would gone on a far different path.

But would have really been better?

Now, he realized that the extermination of Extant may have not been pleasant, it the was the least terrible of actions. Villains with the power to mess up time simply shouldn't be allowed to exist.

But his reasons were selfish: he wanted his mother (whom he loved and was all he had, family-wise) back.

If she hadn't been on that plane, he wouldn't have had such desire to catch and punish Extant. He would have been sad and angry that innocent people had died, but they would have been detached emotions.

The least terrible thing (out of many terrible possibilities and actions) done for selfish reasons.

Relief and joy at knowing his mother was alive came first. The shame came later. He later would express this shame later to Teth Adam, who said things to lessen it.

He would later go on to follow Teth Adam in Kahndaq, killing soldiers and later the dictator. He would feel the same shame.

Muhannud was different from Extant. Muhannud was just a man, an evil man no doubt, but one that could have been imprisoned instead of possible been made into a martyr.

He could have said no and had let Teth Adam do the act himself. He could have said no, and tried to convince Teth Adam death was too good for the dictator.

He could have simply snapped the dictator's neck, he could have killed him a million less gory ways.

But he didn't. He took his oversized foot and stomped him to death, enraged his with memories of abused little children.

His actions. His fault. His responsibility, for better or for worse.

He couldn't take it. He wanted to be good again.

Once again someone was messing around with time and he was call (reluctantly) to battle.

He asked to rejoin. He later left upon learning of the Spectre's violence.

His heart only restarted with the actions of Teth Adam's lightning.

He more or less choose penance in the form of a jail sentence.

He later choose a more active penance when Amanda Waller came calling.

That's why Albert believed with all his heart that he had changed; he only changed back to his human form if the cause was truly and utterly important to him.

In this situation, it was convincing that he was nothing to fear; no wait; it was that he did not want the people's fear. The latter was ever bigger and more meaningful then the former.

That's why he believed Teth Adam would be willing to stand trial. He was sure the world court would exonerate Teth Adam very quickly and he could go back to being with his Black Marvel family.

He didn't believe he had been tricked. Osiris did not deserved what had happen then or what had happen recently. He should have never been placed in that type of situation. He wasn't old and not experienced enough to understand that sometimes you had to kill in self-defense to protect your loved ones.

Albert wouldn't pretend killing wasn't a sin, but it had to be done: sometimes a necessary sin done for the greater good.

That's why Albert couldn't believe that Teth Adam was responsible for all those deaths in Bialaya.

He was a man of responsibility, which meant he knew he must kill only for justice not vengeance.

He was responsible for the changes in Albert, changes Albert knew weren't necessary bad things.

Albert knew now that he wouldn't have been happy on his old path (not that he could really define his old path).

He now had a better idea of who he was.

He was a man perfectly capable of killing, as a necessary sin and for terrible selfish reasons. He couldn't pretend he was this good little boy, hero, son, anymore. He couldn't pretend that all his actions were of this virtuous good guy any more.

That made him grow up at least a little bit.

Even if he knew then what he knew now, he still would have killed Extant and he still would have followed Teth Adam.

Maybe even if he knew then what he knew now, he would have stayed faithful to Teth Adam.

Maybe it would have prevented the death of Sadora. Maybe it would have prevented the deaths of Isis and Osiris.

Maybe it would have prevented what was looking to World War Three.

Maybe it was arrogant to think like that.

At any point he couldn't change his actions (not in any wau that wouldn't mess up the time stream) and now he knew he wouldn't.


End file.
